GEORGE ABOUNADER moved from
New York to Naples in 1983 and holds a B.A. from
Syracuse University and a M.Ed. from Boston
College. Mr. Abounader has been a
professional educator for the past forty-five
years and has taught at the high school and
college level. During the past thirty
years, Mr. Abounader has been a school
administrator, currently serving as the
CEO/Principal of the Marco Island Charter Middle
School, a public middle school, for all but one
of the school’s nineteen years of existence.
During those years, he led the school to be
ranked among the top 3.0% of all public middle
schools in the State, receiving the highest
score in 59 of the State’s 67 counties and in
2017 was recognized by NICHE for achieving the
rank of #4 "Best Charter Middle Schools in
Florida."

Mr. Abounader was named the
Naples Daily News’ Marco Island’s 2013 Citizen
of the Year and was honored by the Noontime
Rotary Club of Marco Island with the “2015
Spirit of Marco Island” award for “…making it a
better place to live", and in 2016 was named
"Rotarian of the Year."

Mr. Abounader currently is on
the Board of Trustees for the Community
Foundation of Collier County, and serves as its
Treasurer and Chairs its
Finance Committee, the Board of Trustees of the
Marco Island Rotary Club Foundation, the Board
of Directors of the Noontime Rotary Club of
Marco Island; and was on the Board of
Directors of the Forum Club of Southwest
Florida, and served on its
Hospitality Committee.

Mr. Abounader completed the
“Leadership Marco” program and is active in the
community. He served on the City of Marco
Island’s first Parks and Recreation Committee,
its Teen Task Force, and it’s Blue Ribbon
Committee on Teens, as well as the Department of
Justice’s Neighborhood Accountability Board for
Marco Island, the Greater Marco Island Family
YMCA’s Five Year Strategic Planning Committee,
and as President of the Noontime Rotary Club of
Marco Island.

Mr. Abounader currently
volunteers at the Greater Marco Island Family
YMCA, the Rotary Club’s and local civic
organization’s community events such as the
Meals of Hope and Seafood Festival. In
addition, he continues administering the Rotary
Club’s “Students of the Month” program, and
serves on Rotary’s Scholarship Committee for
college bound students.

During his professional
career, Mr. Abounader has authored many articles
in the field of education, psychology, theology,
and scripture.

Ms. Bamberger,
originally from Middletown, New Jersey,
graduated Rutgers University in 2001 with a
major in Natural Resource Management and a minor
in Animal Science. She moved to Florida in
2004 and began her career as a teacher.
She has since earned her master’s degree in
Science Education through NOVA University and
continues to further her own education and
accomplishments.

Mrs. Cahill is originally
from Millbury, Ohio.She graduated from Lourdes College with a
Bachelor’s Degree in Middle Childhood Education
with an emphasis on language arts and math as
well as receiving a Master’s degree in classroom
technology from Bowling Green State University.Previously she has taught intensive math,
intensive reading, language arts, computers, and
algebra.Currently Teaching 7th grade
language arts, this will be her 9th
year at MICMS.

Originally from New Jersey, Mr. Bencivenga is a
graduate of William Paterson University with a
degree in Mathematics and a specialization in
Secondary Education. He taught math to students
in grades 6-12 for ten years in New Jersey
before moving to Florida with his wife Jennifer
and daughter AnnaBelle.

Born in
Muncie,
Indiana, Mr. Fisher earned a Bachelor of Arts in
Political Science from
Indiana University and
a Master of Arts in Political Science from
Ball
State University. He has
furthered his studies in Education at
Florida
Gulf Coast
University. Mr. Fisher was a sales associate
with Barnett Bank from 1993-1997 and he has been
a social studies instructor at the
Charter
School since 1998.

Ms. García was born and raised in Texas. She
graduated from New Mexico State University with
a degree in psychology. Prior to teaching, Ms.
García was a federal agent and a capital murder
investigator. She moved to Florida in 2015 and
began her teaching career. “Education is the
most powerful weapon which you can use to change
the world.” -Nelson Mandela

Originally from Massachusetts, Mrs. Garraty has
lived on Marco Island for the past 30 years.
She received her education degree from the
University of South Florida in 1995 and has been
teaching in Collier County for the past nineteen
years. This is her tenth year at the Marco
Island Charter Middle School and she is looking
forward to a challenging and exciting year
teaching Art!

Originally from the
Jersey Shore, Mrs.
Glasser is a graduate of Glassboro State College
with a degree in Fashion Merchandising. She
attended
Georgian
Court College where she
received her certification in both elementary
and special education. She lives on
Marco Island with her
husband and two boys.

Mrs. Heidenreich grew up in Minnesota and earned
her Speech Communications and Spanish degrees
from St. Cloud State University. After
spending time in both the international business
arena and construction, she earned her teacher's
certification in NC where she began her teaching
career and has recently earned a Masters of
Science degree in Curriculum and Instruction.
Mrs. Heidenreich currently holds certification
in K-6 Elementary Education, K-12 Spanish,
Grades 5-9 Math, and an ESOL Endorsement.​

Originally fromMaine,
Miss Holdsworth received her Bachelor of Arts
degree fromNewcombCollege
atTulaneUniversity.
In her previous career, Miss Holdsworth worked
in marketing and trade show management. She was
a permanent substitute at MICMS when she
relocated toFlorida
fromTexas
before becoming certified in language arts. Miss
Holdsworth is in her 12th year teaching language
Arts at MICMS and is also the cheerleading
coach.

Mr. Jarrett grew up in the small community of
North Manchester, Indiana. He entered the Air
Force at the age of twenty and spent the next
fourteen years as a Survival Instructor training
selected Military personnel how to: survive off
the land, evade the enemy,
resist during interrogation, and escape from
capture (SERE). He has spent the last twenty
plus years teaching in grades 3-8. Mr. Jarrett
has a BA in Education from the University of
South Florida and a Masters in Curriculum &
Instruction from the University of Phoenix. He
is certified to teach all subject areas in
grades First-Ninth and certified to teach Social
Studies & Technology up to the Twelfth Grade.
Mr. Jarrett also has an ESOL endorsement. Mr.
Jarrett’s wife, Mary is a Reading Coach with
Collier County Schools while his daughter Kelsey
teaches 2nd Grade in Jacksonville
Florida.

Mrs. Lang was born and raised in Edwardsville,
Illinois, a suburb of St. Louis. She
earned a bachelors' degree in education from
Southern Illinois University. Mrs. Lang taught
in the Edwardsville School District for seven
years before moving to Florida in 1998. She
obtained her Reading Certification and has
taught at MICMS in the fields of Reading and
Language Arts in Grades 6, 7, and 8 since 2007.
Mrs. Lang is married, is the proud mom of Jake,
Emily, and Jason, and lives on Marco.

Mrs.
Lightell was born and raised in Royal Oak,
Michigan. She graduated from Alma College with a
Bachelors in Elementary Education and minors in
math and psychology. She has been teaching
Middle School mathematics for a total of 16
years.Jaclyn was a
recipient of the Excellence in Teaching Math
Excel Award in 2010 and was also recognized by
the Florida Department of Education as one of
the state’s Highest Impact Teachers in 2016 and
17.
This recognition is a result of Students’
performance on the Florida Standards Assessments
or FSA.

Mr.
Lindsay had been a long time resident of
Pennsylvania where he taught high school English
prior to moving to Florida in 2007. He
decided to work at Marco Charter in order to
teach in a small school where students and
teachers knew one another. Mr. Lindsay’s
educational background includes degrees from the
University of Delaware and Villanova University.
In the past he had coached wrestling, soccer,
baseball and football. When he’s not at
MICMS, he is with his family or kayaking.
His son attends FGCU and his daughter is at
Boston College. His wife is an elementary
assistant principal in the Collier County School
District.​

Originally from Massachusetts, Mrs. Marcoux has
more than thirty years teaching experience. She
has a B.S. from the University of Massachusetts,
an MBA from Anna Maria College and a CAGS in
Computer Science from Anna Maria College and
Boston University. In addition to her experience
teaching both middle and high school students,
she has also been a professor in the graduate
program at Anna Maria College, has served as
curriculum coordinator, union treasurer and MCAS
Curriculum & Testing liaison. Recipient of two
Tandy National Teacher Awards for excellence in
teaching math, science, and technology, she is
certified in all subject areas.

A small town farm girl from Iowa, Mrs. Miller
attended college in Blair, Nebraska where she
received a B.S. in Music Education. Upon
starting at MICMS, the band program consisted of
about 50 students. The program has grown
and Mrs. Miller is very proud to have enriched
thousands of students lives with instrumental
music. She has created a jazz band program
that rehearses during the school day and
represents MICMS in the community throughout the
year. Mrs. Miller is married and has a
daughter named Chelsey who also attended MICMS.

Prior to teaching at Marco Island Charter Middle
School students she taught at Naples Christian
Academy. During her teaching career she
has taught many subject areas including P.E.,
Spanish, Science, Social Studies, Reading and
Language Arts. She earned her National
Board Certification in English Language
Arts/Early Adolescence. In addition, she
has completed her Master’s Degree Course work in
Educational Leadership. Her simple
philosophy is: Teaching is not just a job or
even a career; it is a lifestyle. It is
her passion and each year she looks forward to
educating her students and learning from them.

Ms. Neustadt was born and raised on Long Beach
Island, New Jersey. She graduated from Florida
Gulf Coast University in 2014. She earned her
Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education, K –
6, as well as Reading and ESOL Endorsements. Ms.
Neustadt loves to be active and busy. Her high
school volleyball team won the State
Championships of NJ in 2008. She is very
passionate about the sport and is the coach of
the volleyball team.​

Mr. Radlovacki is originally from Marco Island.He graduated with a B.A. from Florida
Gulf Coast University and will be teaching
physical education and health.Mr. Radlovacki is a former student of
Marco Island Charter Middle School and is very
excited to carry on the rich tradition that
MICMS has become known for.

Jennifer was raised in Piscataway, New Jersey.She attended Rider University in
Lawrenceville, New Jersey where she received a
Bachelor of Science degree in Business
Administration/Marketing, a Master of Science
degree in Counselor Education and a
post-graduate School Psychologist Certification.Miss Reddick has many years of experience
working with children and adolescents as a
Counselor in schools, shelters and psychiatric
hospitals.After completing her post-graduate
education in 1997, Miss Reddick moved to Florida
and serviced Orange County Public Schools, the
Lee County School District, the Lee County
Detention Center/Jail, the School District of
Collier County and Marco Island Charter Middle
School as a School Psychologist.Miss Reddick left the public school
system after nearly 20 years of service for the
opportunity to work with students in the
capacity of a Guidance Counselor and a School
Psychologist at Marco Island Charter.Miss Reddick continues to pursue
educational opportunities and trainings to
enhance her effectiveness with children and
parents; having recently completed
classes/conferences through the National
Alliance for Mental Illness [NAMI] and Florida
Gulf Coast University.Jennifer resides in Naples with her son
Dean and their dog, Max.

Born and raised on Marco Island. Ms.
Shadrick graduated from Florida Gulf Coast
University with her degree in education.
She lives in Naples with her daughter. Ms.
Shadrick teaches 6th, 7th,
and 8th grade Reading.

Mrs. Toth is one of the original teachers of
MICMS. Certified in health and physical
education for grades K-12 as well as a American
Heart Association CPR instructor. Prior to
teaching, Cheryl worked in sales for MetLife
Insurance Company and coached varsity tennis and
softball at
TamanendMiddle School in
Warrington,
PA. Cheryl moved to
Florida with her family in 1998 and started her
career in education at the charter school.

This Golden Apple Teacher winner’s resume reads
like a National Geographic travel log.
Originally from Florida,
Shane has taught Art and Science in
Wisconsin, Alaska, and
Florida for 20+ years, and was one
of the original MICMS staff members when it
opened in 1998. Mr. Totten enjoys incorporating
"edu-tainment" into
his lessons and is never seen in the same room
as The Amazing PHEOC, Blind Boy Newton, or
Captain Ecology! He graduated from the
University of
Wisconsin with a major in Biology and Art.

A native of Marco Island, Mr. Tudor was one of
the first students to go all 3 years at MICMS.
He and his basketball teammates went undefeated
at MICMS and continued their careers at Lely
High School, where they won back-to-back
district titles and led the Trojans to the #1
ranking in the state their senior year. Upon
graduating from Lely, Mr. Tudor got his B.A. in
Secondary Ed. Social Studies from the University
of Kentucky. He has been back on Marco since
2010 and has spent the last years at Lely High
School coaching both football and basketball.
Mr. Tudor is proud to have the opportunity to
teach at his alma mater (which finally has a
building!) and continue a tradition of
excellence and inspire a winning attitude into
each student he crosses paths with. He hopes to
keep alive the legacy and enthusiasm of the
unique educational experience he was able to
enjoy and thrive from.

Mrs. Waldinger was born in Norway, Michigan and
was raised in the Midwest, Florida, the Bahamas,
and Texas.In 1975 she graduated from the University
of Texas at Austin with a B. S. in Elementary
Education and a minor in math.She has taught 4th grade and
Middle School Math for the last 42 years in
Texas, Wisconsin, and Florida.In 2002 Mrs. Waldinger served on the
Florida Teacher Advisory Board for Glencoe
Publishing Company and edited the Glencoe Middle
School Mathematics textbooks.She was selected as the Collier County
Outstanding Middle School Teacher of the Year in
2002.Mrs. Waldinger and her husband, Craig,
have lived on Marco Island since 1990.

Hola! I am Laura Yanich the new Spanish Level 1
and Level 2 teacher for Marco Island Charter
Middle School. Can’t tell you how excited
I am about this new venture. It is my honor and
privilege to provide your student with
the best World Language experience. A
little bit about my background, my family
relocated to Florida a year ago from
Indianapolis, Indianan. It was there that I
earned my undergraduate degree in Spanish in
1997 from Indiana University, which includes 2
semesters abroad, one in Spain and one in
Mexico. I also participated in several
educational travel experiences including taking
students to Spain, as well as a research project
in Cuba. My teaching career began in
Chicago, where I taught for two and a half years
before returning to Indianapolis. While in
Chicago I earned my master’s degree in education
from DePaul University in 2000. I have been
teaching Spanish for 17 years and love to help
students develop their own appreciation for the
Spanish language and the many cultures from the
various countries